Jointing On A Table Saw

You don't need a jointer to get a straight, square edge on a board. An
L-shaped auxiliary fence makes it easy to "joint" a board on a table saw
(see Photo at right). The fence works on the same principle as a
jointer. On a jointer, the workpiece is fed along an infeed table set
slightly lower than the knives. As material is removed, the outfeed table,
which is set flush with the knives, provides support for the workpiece.

Infeed & Outfeed Sides

To adapt this idea to the table saw, this fence also has an infeed
and an outfeed side. The infeed side has a long, shallow recess cut
in one edge. In use, this recessed edge is used to guide the workpiece into
the saw blade (Photo 1). The outfeed edge of the fence (the
full-width part) provides support for the workpiece after the cut is made
(Photo 2).

A Quick Build

The auxiliary fence consists of two pieces of ¾″ MDF that are
screwed together (Assembly View). The vertical "leg" of the
fence is used to clamp the assembly to the saw's rip fence. For jointing long
pieces, I also made a support block for the infeed end of the table. Note:
Attach it after you cut the infeed recess.

Cutting the Recess

To cut the infeed recess, you'll need to move the rip fence to the left side
of the blade. Set the fence to make a cut that matches the exact
thickness of a saw kerf. Then, making a single pass, cut the recess as
shown in the Recess Detail below. After the recess is cut,
simply flip the assembly end-for-end to use it to joint the edge of a board.

Setup

To set up the fence, align the outfeed support of the fence with the
outermost teeth on the saw blade (see Setup Detail). A framing
square makes it easy.